Weekly College Roundup

As the collegiate lacrosse regular season comes to a close, competition remains stiff and there have been plenty of fireworks in the finale(s) so far.

For Loyola, runs of both six and seven unanswered goals were the key to trouncing Hobart, 19-11 on the road in their ECAC regular season finale on Saturday, April 20. Going on the attack early, Mike Sawyer (Charlotte) put up six points four goals and two assists with three ground balls, as he led the attack unit to a combined 10 goals and 15 points total. Midfielder Josh Hawkins (Hamilton) also contributed heavily for the Blue Jays, tallying two goals in addition to four ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Scott Ratliff (Boston) led the way on defense with three points on two goals and one assist, plus seven ground balls and three caused turnovers.

Despite it being Senor Day, things did not go as well for Colgate, who dropped a 13-8 game to Bucknell at home on Saturday. First overall selection Peter Baum (Ohio) was held to just one assist and three ground balls, as the Raiders could not hold onto a second-half lead that saw them score four straight goals for the second straight week. Now seeded fourth in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, Colgate faces Lehigh on Friday night, while the Bison (ranked second) face Army in the tournament opener earlier that day.

After a long six-game losing streak seemed to dishearten the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers bounced back on Saturday to pick up a 12-7 victory over Bellarmine. Matt White (Charlotte) contributed three ground balls to the five-goal victory, which is the largest margin of victory against Bellarmine by any team this season in addition to UVA’s 12 goals being the most any team has put up against Bellarmine this year. In their semifinal ACC match-up this Friday, the no. 4 ranked Cavaliers will look to upend Maryland; a tall task in and of itself.

Speaking of the Terrapins, this past Saturday saw them squeak out an 8-7 victory over Yale in College Park, MD, thanks in large part to Owen Blye (Charlotte) who contributed three goals and an assist for the Terps. Jesse Bernhardt (Chesapeake) also showed great hustle on defense, picking up an assist along with four ground balls and a caused turnover, while Kevin Cooper (Chesapeake) registered two assists for the day, putting him at 19 multi-point games for his career. The Terps will have to continue their winning ways and cement their status as no. 1 in the ACC when they take on Virginia in the first semifinal game this weekend.

In a dominant performance, Johns Hopkins trounced Navy 15-4 at home in Baltimore, as John Ranagan (Rochester) contributed two tallies on the day. Their defense was on point as well, evident by the scarce amount of goals Navy was able to register, and Lee Coppersmith (Boston) and Mike Poppleton (Hamilton) were largely to thank in picking up 13 ground balls total between them.

This past week saw Syracuse split their games, as the Orange fell to Hobart, 13-12 at home and had their six-game home winning streak snapped. Despite the loss, JoJo Marasco (New York) looked good for Syracuse, contributing three points on two goals and an assist, with two ground balls and a caused turnover to go with them. Meanwhile, Brian Megill (Denver) also chipped in a ground ball and caused turnover, but it was not enough to give the Orange a victory. The following Saturday, Syracuse met Georgetown in a Big East match-up and redeemed themselves with a 9-8 victory in another close game. Marasco again had three points, this time on one tally and two helpers, while also scooping up two ground balls to add to Megill’s three. The Orange will close out their regular season this Saturday, April 27 against Notre Dame at the 2013 Konica Minolta Big City Classic in MetLife Stadium.

Last year’s first overall selection Rob Pannell (New York) registered three points on two goals and an assist, setting the Ivy League record for individual career points as he lifted Cornell over Brown, 13-7. Max Von Bourgondien (Charlotte) also registered three points for the Big Red on one goal and two assists, as well as three ground balls while Jason Noble (Hamilton) scooped up one GB as well. Cornell secured the Ivy League crown with their victory, and will host the tournament for the third time in four years.

The Ohio State was able to slip past Air Force, 10-9 this past Saturday in Colorado thanks in large part to Logan Schuss (Ohio). Schuss had five points on four tallies and one assist, plus a ground ball, increasing his record of career goals for the Buckeyes to 133, as well as his career points total to 216. Schuss’ co-captain Dominique Alexander (Ohio) also put up five points on the day with two goals and three assists, and scooped up two ground balls of his own. With the victory, Ohio State clinched a berth in the ECAC tournament for the third-straight year.

After getting out to a big lead early, the University of North Carolina never faltered as they cruised to a 20-8 victory over High Point on Saturday. Marcus Holman (Ohio) had two goals and two ground balls on the day, extending his consecutive games streak with a goal to 28, breaking the school record of 27 set by Mac Ford in the mid-1980’s. While it took Ford nearly two years to set the Tar Heels record, Holman was able to break it in just over a year’s time. In hosting the ACC Tournament next weekend, UNC will look to take down rival Duke in the second semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. at Kenan Stadium.

Despite taking the no. 1 ranking this past week, Denver lost that recognition on Saturday when they were upset by Fairfield, 10-9 in overtime at home. Eric Law (Denver) led the Pioneers with two goals, two assists and a ground ball, but it was not enough to keep Denver ahead. Chase Carraro (Ohio) also contributed for the Pioneers with three ground balls and 10-of-20 face-off wins, but the Stags were able to overcome an early deficit and score less than a minute into overtime for the upset. Denver closes out their regular season this Saturday as they host Michigan.

In another upset, the University of Massachusetts rallied for a 9-8 win over Hofstra on the road, as Will Manny (Boston) contributed his sixth helper of the day to Colin Fleming (Ohio) for the game-winning goal with just six seconds of play left. Fleming finished the day with two goals total, while Jake Smith (Boston) picked up a ground ball. This Friday, April 26, UMass will host its Senior Day when they host Delaware, with hopes that it will not turn out as Colgate’s did.